


wozpil's JaePil AU pt. 1

by wozpils



Category: Day6 (Band), Park Jaehyung | Jae / Kim Wonpil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:09:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22065295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wozpils/pseuds/wozpils
Summary: A little supplementary narration to wozpil's JaePil AU. Read the rest here: https://twitter.com/wozpils/status/1153918901941444608?s=20Enjoy!
Relationships: Kim Wonpil/Park Jaehyung | Jae
Comments: 8
Kudos: 80





	wozpil's JaePil AU pt. 1

The adrenaline rush from being on stage still lingered in the air and mingled with the smell of sweat and soda as Jae was packing his stuff up. He was in the middle of fixing his guitar into its case when he got a reply from _Pirianist_. “My pleasure,” he read the text aloud and couldn’t help but smile. He had crafted that night’s setlist with his new friend in mind, partly because he wanted to impress him and partly because he felt a special connection with _Pirianist_ , one grounded in a common understanding and appreciation for the intricate workings of music and lyrics. A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and he was shaken awake from his little moment of happiness.

“Dowoon and I are starving.” It was Younghyun, hair stuck to his forehead, wiping sweat off with a towel that hung around his neck. “We’re going to grab some burgers. You comin’?”

“Oh. I’m meeting Wonpil,” Jae said. “Second time’s the charm, right?” He chuckled. He meant what he said: he truly wanted to feel that indescribable giddy feeling he felt when he first met Wonpil. When it failed to occur in him during their first date, he could not hide his disappointment. Nevertheless, a part of him still felt strangely attracted – no, connected – to Wonpil.

Younghyun dropped his hand from Jae’s shoulder. “It’s third time’s the charm. Have fun, hyung. Get home safe.” He winked playfully at Jae and skipped over to Dowoon. Younghyun relayed their conversation and Dowoon gave him a smirk. “JaePil,” he mouthed to Jae, whilst forming a heart with his hands. Jae laughed and shook his head, used to his friends’ teasing.

Once he fixed his stuff, Jae walked out the venue, still feeling the warm fuzziness performing onstage always gave him. _Or maybe it’s the proverbial butterflies in the stomach,_ Jae thought to himself, although he wasn’t sure what, or who, was giving him this feeling. He tried to shrug it off and continued to make his way to the entrance where Wonpil was waiting, unconsciously rubbing his thumb in nervousness.

“Excuse me, did you happen to see a cute barista around?” Jae said from behind Wonpil. The latter turned around shyly, trying to hide the grin that his lips were slowly forming. “There you are. I was starting to think you stood me up,” Wonpil teased. His coat hung over his arm. It was a breezy night but the air was filled with a special warmth.

Jae chuckled and tugged at the sling of his guitar case over his shoulder. “Who would ever stand up someone like you?” To this, Wonpil said nothing and only smiled.

“So,” Jae began, “see any cute guitarists around?”

“I’m talking to one right now, aren’t I?”

This time, Jae was the one at a loss for words. For a brief moment the air was filled only with the sound of their innocent laughter and the faint whistling of the wind. When their laughter died out and only bashful smiles remained plastered on their faces, the silence made Jae uneasy. Wonpil, on the other hand, found solace in small moments of quiet. But none of them knew what the other was feeling.

Jae finally broke the silence. “I know a really good frozen yogurt place. Shall we?” Wonpil looked at Jae who was positively taller than him. A few moments ago, he had talked to Jae on the phone, both as himself and as _Pirianist_. A few moments ago, Jae had told him – well, Pirianist – that he had played a song for him. Not Wonpil, but his anonymous persona. What was he to feel? Dismay? Envy? Did it even matter? They were the same person after all. Did it make a difference? To Wonpil it did, and he couldn’t shake that feeling off. It was the same type of discomfort you felt when you had food stuck between your teeth and you couldn’t get it out. It stayed with Wonpil like his shadow, following him, stretched out over the pavement thanks to the moonlit vibrancy of the night.

Wonpil tried to stomach the uneasiness of this feeling and focus instead on Jae. “Let’s go.” He smiled at the taller boy and pocketed his phone. They walked in silence for a block. If it weren’t for the hum of the storefront lights and the sound of cars speeding by, their night would have only been a competition between white noise and silence.

Jae finally spoke. “So, what was your favorite song?”  
  
Wonpil turned to him and then returned his gaze to the sidewalk in front of him. “Hmm... I liked all your songs. They’re different from each other but you still manage to put your own color to them.” While he said this, Wonpil only looked ahead. To Jae, he looked very deep in thought, as though he considered every word he spoke carefully, turning each one over on every side before he uttered them. It was endearing.

“But I like _Pouring_ the most. It’s very... natural.”

“ _Pouring_.” Jae repeated. The same song Pirianist liked, he remembered. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind and brought his attention back to what Wonpil said. “Natural? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. It just sounds like what falling in love feels like. Natural.” Wonpil looked at Jae softly.

Jae nodded. “I get what you mean. When you almost gave me an allergic reaction, _Pouring_ just started playing in my head. Naturally.”

Wonpil broke into a toothy grin and bumped Jae’s shoulder playfully. “Not a day goes by that you don’t bring that up, Park Jaehyung.”

“How’d you know my real name?” Jae feigned incredulity.

“I’m a fan of your band, of course I know your real name,” Wonpil joked.

At this part of their walk, the sidewalk narrowed down so that Jae and Wonpil had to walk closer to each other. Again, the silence of the night fell over them like a blanket. As they walked and as their arms swung, their fingers grazed for a split second. Wonpil quickly retracted his hand and safely hid it underneath the coat he was carrying. He did so to try and calm the brewing feeling of giddiness that was slowly forming in his stomach. Jae, however, took this another way.

It was in that state of unspoken feelings and the muddled confusion of mixed misread signals that Jae and Wonpil finally arrived at the yogurt place Jae was talking about. They entered the establishment and settled into a table at the back, facing each other. The interior was decorated like an old diner with colors that faded into pastels. It even had a jukebox that no longer functioned. After the waitress took their order, Jae cleared his throat.

“How long have you worked at the cafe?” He asked Wonpil who looked at him attentively.

Wonpil thought for a moment. “Almost half a year. Helps pay the rent.” He paused. “What about you? How long have you been in a band?”

“I’ve known Younghyun and Dowoon for as long as I can remember but Dayglow’s still just a year old.”

“Wow,” Wonpil said, genuinely impressed. “A year old and you’re already that big.”

“We’re not _that_ big,” Jae said matter-of-factly. “You know we’re still looking for another member, right?”

Wonpil gulped and his fingers twitched ever so slightly. “No, I don’t think you mentioned that.”

At that moment, the waitress returned with their orders and Jae, without a moment’s hesitation, dug right into his yogurt. “Yeah, we’re looking for someone to play the keys. Add a little spice to our music,” he said in between bites.

“I think your music’s fine just the way it is,” Wonpil added quickly.

Jae scoffed. “Everyone says that. It’s flattering really, but if you know, you know.”

Wonpil simply nodded and started to move his spoon around his yogurt. “So, any luck finding someone?”

“We’re getting somewhere. A guy on campus, actually. Ever heard of _Pirianist_?”

Wonpil’s heart doubled. His throat starting to burn up, starting from his chest and working its way up to his mouth. Hearing Jae say it out loud for the first time reminded him of the messy situation he was in. Wonpil nodded. “Youtuber, right? Have you met him?”

Jae shook his head, not even trying to hide the look of disappointment in his face. “God, I wish. We’ve been talking though. He’s really nice,” Jae looked down and smiled. “He’s... something. Some people — you’ve never met them or anything but — they have a certain way about themselves.” Jae seemed distracted, lost in a jungle of thoughts far away from the present, from the yogurt in front of him, from Wonpil. He thought about Pirianist again and how he immediately felt drawn to this person he’d never even met. _It must be the shared love for music_ , he thought to himself.

Jae snapped back to reality and chuckled. “It’s a long shot but we’re trying to get him on-board.” Wonpil said nothing to this and simply ate his first spoonful of yogurt.

“Tell me something about you.” Jae said out of nowhere.

“Like what?”

“Anything.”

“Okay. I’m going to be honest with you,” Wonpil started, “but I don’t really like frozen yogurt.” Wonpil smiled apologetically.

Jae’s mouth slowly curved into a smile. “I don’t either.” He laughed heartily. “I just thought that you might like it because everyone seems to.” Jae scratched his head shyly.

“I don’t get the hype,” Wonpil shrugged his shoulders. “I’d rather just eat ice cream.”

“That’s what I tell my friends!” Jae raised his hand and offered Wonpil a high-five. The latter did the same, but before their hands could touch, Jae stopped and took Wonpil’s raised hand in his. This caught the other boy off-guard. Jae looked at Wonpil’s palm intently and began to trace his finger over a spot on Wonpil’s ring finger.  
  
“What does it mean?” Jae asked, referring to the small tattoo of a heart on Wonpil’s finger.

Jae’s finger continued its gentle traipsing over the heart indelibly inked on the other boy’s skin. Wonpil gulped once again, taken aback by this sudden skinship. “I got it a year ago. I... just wanted to be able to see my own heart... I wanted to have something that would make me feel alive…” Wonpil’s voiced trailed off and Jae looked up from his careful study of the small tattoo. Wonpil gently shook his hand loose from the taller boy’s grip and smiled shyly. “It’s embarrassing.”

“I think it’s beautiful.” Jae straightened his back and went back to his yogurt, as if he needed to immediately shake off the growing intimacy that was beginning to surround them, before they would both be trapped in a bubble of closeness neither was ready for.

The rest of the night went by quickly. Jae would crack a joke or make a flirty remark and Wonpil would respond in kind albeit in a much more muted and toned-down manner. Throughout that date, Wonpil still had that bothersome feeling crawling in his skin. That uneasiness caused by his conversation with Jae a few moments before they headed out. Jae, on the other hand, no matter how much he pushed _Pirianist_ to the back of his mind, always found himself leafing through their little interactions. With their heads filled with thoughts other than the present, both boys settled for small pockets of conversations and innocent silence and the calmness of the night.

Their evening ended and they had both gone home and gone to bed.

Neither knew that they were thinking about each other the entire time.


End file.
